Improvement in envelopes



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UNITED STATns PATENT GFFIcE.

NOAH JACOBSOHN, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

IMPROVEM ENTv IN ENVELO PES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 209,571, dated November5, 1878; application filed' l February 19, 1878.

To all lwhom it may concern: Be it known that I, NOAH JAGOBSOHN, oBerlin, Prussia, have invented an Improvement in Envelopes, of which thefollowing is a specication:

Figure l is an inner-face view of the im' proved envelope-blank; Fig. 2,a back view of the closed envelope; Fig. 3, a back view thereof, showinga modification; Fig. 4, an inner-face view of a blank containing afurther modification of the invention.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondingparts in all thefigures. .l

This invention relatesl to improvements in envelopes, which arecalculated to insure greater safety in the conveyanceof letters and moreprotection against fraudulent opening of the envelopes,v f

The invention consists, first, in cutting the end flaps c c of theenvelope A with downwardly-projecting noses b b, as clearly shown inFigs. l and 4so that when the flaps are closed these noses will fold oneover the other and over the lower ap, i, of the envelope, and will comedirectly under the lip el of the coverin g-iiap e, which lip isperforated, as shown, so

that three seals are required to unite all the four aps of the envelope,the upper seal striking through the apertures ofthe coveringiiap.

vIt will be seen that the noses b and b, by folding one over the other,make the envelope very strong at its most exposed portion, and make itextremely difficult to open the same.

In the envelopes heretofore made the lower iiap, c', folded over the endiiaps, leaving the upper -gummed edge of the lower iiap exposed. Suchenvelopes could be readily opened along such exposed edge of the lowerflap. By providing the end iiaps a c with the noses b b and folding thesame over the lower flap, i, l protect the gummed ed ge of the latter,thereby adding greatly to the security of the envelope.

Highly-colored gums or soluble seals may be used for closing theenvelope, which is provided with the vperforated flap c, so that thecolor of the seal or gum may be perceived throughthe perforations.; butthis I do'not claim to have invented.

In Fig. 3 is indicated a highly-colored wafer or soluble seal, f, placedbeneath the lip d' of the outer flap, o, said lip d being perforated, asshown. When t-heA envelope is sealed with this highly-colored gum orseal, which is soluble in water, it will be impossible to reopen it withsteam or water without dissolving and eacin g or spreading the color,which is always perceivable through the apertures of the flap. Thefraudulent opening of the envelope will thereby be rendered almostcertain of detection if attempted.

To the like end the exposed outerv borders of the iiaps are tinted withwater-colors which are soluble in water or steam, so that any attempt atunfastenin g the flaps by moisture will at once cause these exposedborders of colors to be dissolved and diffused over the whole surface ofthe envelope, thereby betraying the attempt which has been made. This is-part of my invention.

Heretofore gum has been mixed with soluble colors, so that the colorswould be diffused if the gum were dissolved; but in that case the colorsand gum were applied betweenl the iaps to be connected, while I applythe colors to the outer edges of the liaps, being the exposed andvisible edges of the flaps of the closed envelope.

The dark lines g g along the exposed rims of the iiaps a a and e of theenvelope shown in Fig. 2 indicate these colored borders.

Fi g. 4 shows a modification of my invention, in the form ofperforations in the noses b I of the end flaps a a of the envelope,which perforations correspond with those in the main or covering aps c,so that one single piece of sealing-wax, placedbeneath the flaps a, willextend through and serve to hold all the flaps connected by passingthrough the three flaps a c and c. A similar safetyseal may be providedat other parts of the iiaps.

The lower flap, i, may either be of the usual l form, as indicated inFig. l, or it may be len gthened to extend up along the entire face ofthe envelope and have a flange or ledge on top, which may be gummed andsecured, when the envelope is closed, to the outer flap, o.

I also prefer to apply to the inner face of the envelope a piece ofcolored impression or transfer paper, l, (shown in Fig. 1,) with itstransfersurface facing the letter` that is to be placed into theenvelope, so that the application of a canceling or other stamp to theouter face of the envelope will be transferred through the paper l tothe body of the letter, thus showing on the face of the letter theactual imprint of the post-oce, and enabling parties to prove therebythe time of the mailing ofthe letter.

This is important, because it frequently oecurs that necessary proof ofthe time at which a letter was mailed cannot be given owing to the lossof the envelope Within which the letter has been contained; but this Ido not claim as my invention.

I elaiml 1. The envelope A, having a perforated covering-flap, e, andend llaps al a, that are provided with downwardly-projecting noses b b,all arranged so that, in folding, the two noses b and b will cover oneanother. and the upper NOAH JACOBSOHN.

Witnesses:

GEORG PRITTWIER, BERTHOLD Roi.

